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SBL Footnote and Bibliographic Style

Rochester College Religion Papers and Theses

What follows are examples to cover the most common forms used.. It is not meant to be exhaustive. If you are uncertain about proper (a) footnote or (b) bibliographic form or do not find an appropriate form below, be sure first to consult The SBL Handbook of Style (Peabody, Mass.: Hendricksen,1999), supplemented by The Chicago Manual of Style: Fourteenth Edition, Revised and Expanded (1993).

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General Information

 

 
 

General Information –  For RC Religion Dept. submissions

Both endnotes and the main text (including block quotes) should be double-spaced. Margins should be at least 1¼ inches all around.

Never  print on both sides of the paper.

Never  fully justify your document; always leave text ragged right. 

Block quotations should use the same font and point size as the main text, and should be indented.

“As a general rule the sequence of publishing information (that given inside parentheses in a  note) is as follows: editor; translator; number of volumes; edition; series; city; publisher; date. Colons precede page numbers in journal articles, and colons separate volume and page numbers” (SBL Handbook, §7.1.1; p. 40).

“Whenever possible, the author’s or editor’s first name (not just an initial) should be  provided. A space should always be left between initials” (SBL Handbook, §7.1.2; p. 40).

“Avoid using f. and ff. for ‘following’ pages; give actual page ranges” (SBL Handbook,  §7.1.5; p. 46).

For abbreviations, including state abbreviations for bibliographic citations (e.g., “Pa.”,  “N.J.”, and “N.Dak.” not “PA”, “NJ”, and “ND”), see ch. 8 of SBL Handbook, pp. 68-152.

Some possessive rules:

a. Add –’s to singular nouns that end in s. (E.g., Henry James’s novels reward the patient reader.)

b. But the possessive of the names Jesus and Moses is traditionally formed by adding an apostrophe alone. (E.g., Jesus’ disciples were sleepy; Moses’ calling was unique.)

c. Add only an apostrophe to plural nouns ending in s. (E.g., The Jameses’ talents are extraordinary; the Yankees’ victories are fixed.)

d. Names of more than one syllable with an unaccented ending pronounced eez are exceptions based on euphony. (E.g., Aristophanes’ plays are funny.)

“Books of the Bible cited without chapter or chapter and verse should be spelled out in the main text. Books of the Bible cited with chapter or chapter and verse should be abbreviated, unless they come at the beginning of the sentence All occurrences of biblical books in parentheses and footnotes should be abbreviated” (SBL Handbook §8.2; pp. 71-72). (E.g., In the main text: “First Corinthians 5:6 is a crucial text” not “1 Corinthians 5:6 is a crucial text.” In the middle of a sentence or in a footnote: 1 Cor 5:6.)

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One Author (book, magazine, and journal)

FN:  Richard B. Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), 3-29.

B:  Hays, Richard B. Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989.

D. G. Hart, “Is High-Church Presbyterianism an Oxymoron?” Touchstone 13, no. 10  (December 2000): 20-29.

Hart, D. G. “Is High-Church Presbyterianism an Oxymoron?” Touchstone 13, no. 10 (December  2000): 20-29.

Claudia Setzer, “Excellent Women: Female Witnesses to the Resurrection,” JBL 116 (1997):  259-72, esp. p. 266 n. 17.

Setzer, Claudia. “Excellent Women: Female Witnesses to the Resurrection.” Journal of Biblical  Literature 116 (1997): 259-72.

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Editor, Translator, or Compiler as “Author”

Anthony B. Tortelli, ed., Sociology Approaching the Twenty-first Century (Los Angeles:  Peter and Sons, 1991), 443.

Tortelli, Anthony B., ed. Sociology Approaching the Twenty-first Century. Los Angeles: Peter and  Sons, 1991.

Robert A. Kraft and George W. E. Nickelsburg, eds., Early Judaism and Its Modern  Interpreters (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986), xii.

Kraft and Nickelsburg, Early Judaism, xii.

Kraft, Robert A., and George W. E. Nickelsburg, eds. Early Judaism and Its Modern Interpreters.  Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986.

Wilhelm Egger, How to Read the New Testament: An Introduction to Linguistic and  Historical-Critical Methodology (trans. P. Heinegg; Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1996), 28.

Egger, Wilhelm. How to Read the New Testament: An Introduction to Linguistic and Historical-Critical  Methodology. Translated by P. Heinegg. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1996.

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Editor, Translator, or Compiler with an Author

John Stuart Mill, Autobiography and Literary Essays (ed. John M. Robinson and Jack  Stillinger; Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980), 15.

Mill, John Stuart. Autobiography and Literary Essays. Edited by John M. Robinson and Jack  Stillinger. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980.

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Article in an Edited Volume

Harold W. Attridge, “Jewish Historiography,” in Early Judaism and Its Modern Interpreters  (ed. R. A. Kraft and G. W. E. Nickelsburg: Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986), 311-43.

Attridge, “Jewish Historiography,” 314-17.

Attridge, Harold W. “Jewish Historiography.” Pages 311-43 in Early Judaism and Its Modern  Interpreters. Edited by R. A. Kraft and G. W. E. Nickelsburg. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986.

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Authors of Foreword and Introductions Not Written by the Author

Mark Harris, introduction to With the Procession, by Henry Fuller (Chicago: University of  Chicago Press, 1965), iv-xii.

Harris, “Introduction,” iv-ix.

Harris, Mark. Introduction to With the Procession, by Henry Fuller. Chicago: Chicago University  Press, 1965.

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Edition: Subsequent Editions

James B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (3d ed.;  Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969), xxi.

Pritchard, James B., ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. 3d ed.  Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.

Joseph Blekinsopp, A History of Prophecy in Israel (rev. and enl. ed.; Louisville, Ky.:  Westminster John Knox, 1996), 81..4

Blekinsopp, Joseph. A History of Prophecy in Israel. Rev. and enl. ed. Louisville, Ky.:  Westminster John Knox, 1996.

Halsey Stevens, The Life and Music of Bela Bartok (rev. ed.; New York: Oxford  University Press, 1964), 128-29.

Stevens, Halsey. The Life and Music of Bela Bartok. Rev. ed. New York: Oxford University Press,  1964.

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Modern Editions of the Classics (Loeb Classical Library [Greek and Latin])

Josephus, Ant. 2.233-235.

Josephus, Ant. 2.233-235 (Thackeray, LCL).

Josephus.  Translated by H. St. J. Thackeray et al. 10 vols. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1926-1965.

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Reprint Editions (in public domain and recent)

Albert Schweitzer, J. S. Bach (trans. Ernest Newman; 1911; repr., New York: Dover  Publications, 1966), 134-56.

Schweitzer, Albert. J. S. Bach. Translated by Ernest Newman. 1911. Repr., New York: Dover Publications, 1966.

John Van Seters, In Search of History: Historiography in the Ancient World and the Origins  of Biblical History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983; repr., Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1997), 35.

Van Seters, John. In Search of History: Historiography in the Ancient World and the Origins of  Biblical History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983. Repr., Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1997.

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Multivolume Works: Citing the Work as a Whole (with author or editor)

Muriel St. Clare Byrne, ed., The Lisle Letters (6 vols.; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981).

Bryne, ed., Lisle Letters, 4:125.

Byrne, Muriel St. Clare, ed. The Lisle Letters. 6 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.

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Multivolume Works: Citing a Particular Work

William Farmwinkle, Humor of the American Midwest (vol. 2 of Survey of American  Humor; Boston: Plenum Press, 1983), 132.

Farmwinkle, Humor, 2:132.

Farmwinkle, William. Humor of the American Midwest. Vol. 2 of Survey of American Humor.  Boston: Plenum Press, 1983.

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A Chapter within a Titled Volume in a Multivolume Edited Work

Richard Bauckham, “The Acts of Paul As a Sequel to Acts,” in The Book of Acts in Its Ancient Literary Setting (ed. Bruce W. Winter and Andrew D. Clarke; vol. 1 of The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting, ed. Bruce W. Winter; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 105-52.

Bauckham, “Sequel to Acts,” in Acts (ed. Winter and Clarke), 1:107.

Bauckham, Richard. “The Acts of Paul As a Sequel to Acts.” Pages 105-52 in The Book of Acts in Its Ancient Literary Setting. Edited by Bruce W. Winter and Andrew D. Clarke. Vol. 1 of The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting. Edited by Bruce W. Winter. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.

Thomas E. Peck, “General Principles Touching the Worship of God,” in Miscellanies of Rev. Thomas E. Peck (ed. T. C. Johnson; Richmond, Va.: The Presbyterian Committee of Publication, 1895), 1:78-89.

Peck, Thomas E. “General Principles Touching the Worship of God.” Pages 78-89 in volume 1 of Miscellanies of Rev. Thomas E. Peck. Edited by T. C. Johnson. 3 vols. Richmond, Va.: The Presbyterian Committee of Publication, 1895.

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Series

John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion (ed. John T. McNeill; trans. Ford Lewis Battles; 2 vols.; LCC; Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960).

Calvin, John. The Institutes of the Christian Religion. Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. 2 vols. Library of Christian Classics. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960.

Richard B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ: An Investigation of the Narrative Substructure of Galatians 3:1–4:11 (SBLDS 56; Chico, Calif.: Scholars Press, 1983) 209.

Hays, Richard B. The Faith of Jesus Christ: An Investigation of the Narrative Substructure of Galatians 3:1–4:11. Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series 56. Chico, Calif.: Scholars Press, 1983.

Christopher D. Stanley, “The Social Environment of ‘Free’ Biblical Quotations in the New Testament,” in Early Christian Interpretation of the Scriptures of Israel: Investigations and Proposals (ed. C. A. Evans and J. A. Sanders; JSNTSup 148; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997), 18-27.

Stanley, Christopher D. “The Social Environment of ‘Free’ Biblical Quotations in the New Testament.” Pages 18-27 in Early Christian Interpretation of the Scriptures of Israel: Investigations and Proposals. Edited by C. A. Evans and J. A. Sanders. Journal for the Society of New Testament: Supplement Series 148. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997.

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An Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

Lee E. Klosinski, “Meals in Mark” (Ph.D. diss., The Claremont Graduate School, 1988), 22-44.

Klosinski, “Meals,” 23.

Klosinski, Lee E. “Meals in Mark.” Ph.D. diss., The Claremont Graduate School, 1988.

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An Internet Publication with a Print Counterpart 

Charles Truehart, “Welcome to the Next Church,” Atlantic Monthly 278 (August 1996): 37-58.

Cited 5 May 1997. Online: http://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic/issues/96aug/nxtchrch.htm.

Truehart, “Next Church,” 37.

Truehart, Charles. “Welcome to the Next Church.” Atlantic Monthly 278 (August 1996): 37-58.

Cited 5 May 1997. Online: http://www.theatlantic.com/atlantic/issues/96aug/nxtchrch.htm.

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An Internet Publication without a Print Counterpart

Matthew Thomas Farrell, “History of the Discovery of Thomas and Comments on the Text,” n.p. [cited 5 May 1997]. Online: http://www.miseri.edu/davies/thomas/farrell.htm.

Farrell, Matthew Thomas. “History of the Discovery of Thomas and Comments on the Text.” No pages. Cited 5 May 1997. Online: http://www.miseri.edu/davies/thomas/farrell.htm

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Last Updated on 25 September 2003 © 2000-03 library@rc.edu